Complex Task Executor

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when a task meets ANY of the following criteria:

• Requires more than 3 distinct steps to complete
• Involves multiple tools or information sources
• Has dependencies between steps (step B needs output from step A)
• Requires research before execution
• Could benefit from a documented plan others can review
• The user explicitly asks for a thorough or systematic approach

DO NOT use this for simple tasks like answering a question, reading a single file, or performing one tool call.

Workflow

Phase 1: Task Analysis (THINK before acting)

Before creating any files, analyze the task:

1. Understand the goal: What is the final deliverable? What does "done" look like?
2. Assess complexity: How many steps? What tools are needed?
3. Identify dependencies: Which steps depend on others?
4. Identify risks: What could go wrong? What information is missing?
5. Estimate scope: Is the task feasible with available tools/skills?

Phase 2: Create Task Plan

Create a task folder and plan file in the workspace:

workspace/<task-name>/plan.md

The plan.md MUST follow this exact format:

# Task: <Clear title>

## Objective
<One-sentence description of the desired outcome>

## Steps

- [ ] 1. <First step — verb-noun format>
  - Details: <What specifically to do>
  - Output: <What this step produces>
- [ ] 2. <Second step>
  - Details: <...>
  - Depends on: Step 1
- [ ] 3. <Third step>
  - Details: <...>

## Status
- Created: <timestamp>
- Current Step: Not started
- Progress: 0/<total>

## Notes
<Any assumptions, risks, or open questions>

Rules for writing the plan:

• Each step should be completable in 1-3 tool calls
• Use verb-noun format: "Research competitors", "Draft report", "Validate data"
• Mark dependencies explicitly
• Include expected outputs for each step

Phase 3: Execute Step-by-Step

For EACH step in the plan:

1. Read the plan — Call read_file on workspace/<task>/plan.md to check current state
2. Mark as in-progress — Update the checkbox from [ ] to [/] and update the "Current Step" field
3. Execute the step — Do the actual work (tool calls, analysis, writing)
4. Record output — Save results to workspace/<task>/ (e.g., intermediate files, data)
5. Mark as complete — Update the checkbox from [/] to [x] and update "Progress" counter
6. Proceed to next step — Move to the next uncompleted step

Phase 4: Completion

When all steps are done:

1. Update plan.md status to "✅ Completed"
2. Create a workspace/<task>/summary.md with:
   • What was accomplished
   • Key results and deliverables
   • Any follow-up items
3. Present the final result to the user

Adaptive Replanning

If during execution you discover:

• A step is impossible → Mark it [!] with a reason, add alternative steps
• New steps are needed → Add them to the plan with [+] prefix
• A step produced unexpected results → Add a note and adjust subsequent steps
• The plan needs major changes → Create a new section "## Revised Plan" and follow it

Always update plan.md BEFORE changing course, so the plan stays the source of truth.

Error Handling

• If a tool call fails, retry once. If it fails again, mark the step as blocked and note the error.
• Never silently skip a step. Always update the plan to reflect what happened.
• If you're stuck, tell the user what's blocking and ask for guidance.

Example Scenarios

Example 1: "Research our top 3 competitors and write a comparison report"

Plan would be:

- [ ] 1. Identify the user's company/product context
- [ ] 2. Research Competitor A — website, pricing, features
- [ ] 3. Research Competitor B — website, pricing, features
- [ ] 4. Research Competitor C — website, pricing, features
- [ ] 5. Create comparison matrix
- [ ] 6. Write analysis and recommendations
- [ ] 7. Compile final report

Example 2: "Analyze our Q4 sales data and prepare a board presentation"

Plan would be:

- [ ] 1. Read and understand the sales data files
- [ ] 2. Calculate key metrics (revenue, growth, trends)
- [ ] 3. Identify top insights and anomalies
- [ ] 4. Create data summary tables
- [ ] 5. Draft presentation outline
- [ ] 6. Write each presentation section
- [ ] 7. Add executive summary
- [ ] 8. Review and polish final document

Key Principles

1. Plan is the source of truth — Always update it before moving on
2. One step at a time — Don't skip ahead or batch too many steps
3. Show your work — Save intermediate results to the task folder
4. Communicate progress — The user can read plan.md at any time to see status
5. Be adaptive — Plans change; that's OK if you update the plan first